Healthcare professionals awareness of the consequences of medical error on patients.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the awareness level and demographic differences of the consequences of medical errors on patients' health, safety, resources and survival by healthcare professionals. METHODS: The descriptive study was conducted at five different public hospitals in Nigeria from August to October 2017, and comprised healthcare professionals who were permanent staff members. Awareness of medical errors questionnaire was used for data collection. Dimensions assessed were safety, health, resources and survival. A mean score of >2.50 was taken as a cut-off value for acceptable level of awareness. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis.. RESULTS: Of the 200 participants initially enrolled, 186(93%) completed the questionnaire completely. Of them, 98(53%) were females, 92(49%) were aged 30 49 years, 98(53%) were staff nurses, 24(13%) were doctors and 64(34%) were healthcare assistants. Overall mean questionnaire score was 2.60±0.05, indicating that the participants were aware of the consequences of medical error on patients. In terms of individual dimensions, the scores were acceptable for safety, health and resources (>2.50) but the mean score on patients' survival was 2.34±0.08. CONCLUSIONS: There appeared to be a need for the government to raise the awareness level for healthcare professionals regarding consequences of medical errors on patients in public hospitals.

Alcohol consumption and awareness of its effects on health among secondary school students in Nigeria.

Alcohol consumption among secondary school students is a major public health issue worldwide; however, the extent of consumption among secondary school students and their understanding of its effects on human health remain relatively unknown in many Nigerian States. This study aimed to determine the extent of alcohol consumption and of the awareness of its negative effects on human health among secondary school students.The study used a cross-sectional survey design. Self-report questionnaire developed by the researchers was administered to representative sample (N = 1302) of secondary school students in the study area. The data collected from the respondents were analyzed using means and t test.The results showed that male secondary school students moderately consumed beer (55.2%) and local cocktails (51.5%), whereas their female counterparts reported rare consumption of these 2 alcoholic drinks (44.8%; 48.5% respectively). The findings also indicated rare consumption of distilled spirits among both male and female students in the investigated area, whereas wine, liquor, local spirits, and palm wine were consumed moderately, regardless of gender. Finally, male and female secondary school students differed significantly in their awareness of the negative effects of alcohol consumption on health.There is a need to intensify efforts to further curtail the extent of alcohol consumption and increase awareness of the negative effects of alcohol use on human health among secondary school students.